UCLA cornerback Nate Meadors announces he'll return next season

Kansas State quarterback Alex Delton (5) sprints 68 yards for a touchdown at the end of the first quarter as UCLA defensive back Nate Meadors (22) makes a last-ditch effort to stop him on Dec. 26, 2017 in the Cactus Bowl. (Bo Rader / Wichita Eagle via TNS)

UCLA's starting secondary will return almost fully intact after junior cornerback Nate Meadors announced on Twitter on Monday that he would come back next season and put off the NFL draft for another year.

Meadors led the Bruins with nine pass breakups last season and ranked fourth with 55 tackles. He also had one interception, a sack, two tackles for loss and forced a fumble.

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Junior safety Adarius Pickett recently announced he was returning next season and the Bruins will also have freshman cornerback Darnay Holmes back. Senior safety Jaleel Wadood will be the only departure among the starters after exhausting his eligibility.

Meanwhile, another candidate in the race to succeed quarterback Josh Rosen emerged when graduate transfer K.J. Carta-Samuels told CBS Sports that he would enroll at UCLA in the spring and spend his final college season in Westwood in 2018. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Carta-Samuels completed 27 of 47 passes for 310 yards as a backup in his career with the Huskies.

He will battle returning quarterbacks Devon Modster, Matt Lynch and Austin Burton as well as incoming freshman Dorian Thompson-Robinson to become the starter when UCLA opens the season against Cincinnati on Sept. 1 at the Rose Bowl.